Interview: The cast & creators of ‘The Deuce’ on selling sex, the ’70s and misogyny

George Pelecanos and David Simon — the dynamic team behind HBO’s The Wire and Treme have returned to television with a breathtaking drama. The Deuce is a ’70s set series that follows the rise and legalization of pornography in New York City’s Times Square, once termed ‘The Deuce.’ As always, the creators present a meaty and fully fleshed out cast, encompassing everyone from sex workers, cops, pimps, journalists, mobsters and beyond to lend their perspective to this time.

Starring James Franco as identical twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino; Maggie Gyllenhaal as a self-made prostitute Candy, Gary Carr as pimp C.C., and Gbenga Akinnagbe as the vicious pimp Larry Brown among many others, The Deuce is certainly a timely piece that comments on the misogynist- filled era that we live in today.

Ahead of the series premiere, Shadow and Act’s Aramide Tinubu sat down to speak with Akinnagbe about The Deuce, returning to Pelecanos and Simon and what he discovered about himself from embodying Larry Brown.

Aramide Tinubu: What intrigued you about The Deuce overall, and why did decide that you wanted to work with David Simon, George Pelecanos and the team from The Wire again?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: That’s my Wire Family. I love working with them. I grew up on TV working with them, so they’ve influenced how I tell stories, the stories I like to watch and be a part of. Aside from that, we all remained tight even off screen for years. Knowing the quality of the work that David and George do, I knew that this show would give an interesting perspective to people who are easily dismissed as one sided criminals on TV — pimps, hooker, gangsters. And also, the time period, the ’70s — those clothes, come on.

AT: It’s fantastic to look at. The series is really rich in texture as well. How did you come on board The Deuce to play Larry?

GA: I went in, and I read for that, and that’s how that worked. I was fortunate enough to book the role. Initially, I read for a different character and then they brought me in for . It just kind of clicked. It made sense.

AT: Can you tell me a little more about Larry? What interested you about him specifically? He’s a pimp in New York City in the ’70s which is very different from your character Chris from, The Wire. However, both men have that same level-headed ferociousness that drives them.

GA: Larry is very different from Chris. Chris was very methodical, and he wasn’t a drug dealer. He didn’t really care about those things — the fancy things. He was a sociopath but looked out for his boys and the people he cared about. Larry is in for the business of it. He’s much more of a business man. He’s got hopes and dreams and aspirations, and he’s going to do what he needs to do; apply his skill set, which is pandering sex to get what he wants. Chris did what was necessary. Larry does what is flashy. There’s a drive there obviously with Larry that’s complicated, and it unfolds throughout the season.